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(Actuele) publicaties 2004 Ginseng
| 12-01-2004: | "EU to promote plant sustainability" |
| 09-01-2004: | "MIT Team Explains Yin-yang Of ginseng" |
| 28-04-2004: | "ginseng a Potent Parkinson's Preventive" |
| 01-08-2004: | "The menu is set for some mind-bending foods" |
| 07-10-2004: | "Beer with a caffeine boost" |
| 19-10-2004: | "Coke accelerates into energy drinks market" |
EU to promote plant sustainability
12/01/2004 - European companies and researchers should share the profits made on products using exotic plants such as ginseng and green tea with the countries of origin, urges a European Commission communication issued on Friday.
The statement, which encourages 'international solidarity', follows a new report from the UK's Plantlife International that shows many wild plants are under threat of extinction from the booming herbal medicines industry. This in turn threatens the livelihoods of numerous populations, mainly in developing countries.
The use of exotic plants like aloe vera, ginseng, green tea and jojoba oil is widespread in the EU, particularly in cosmetics, but there is also growing demand for extracts of these plants in dietary supplements and functional foods. The Commission urges companies and research institutes not to take genetic resources from other countries - usually developing countries that are rich in bio-diversity - without their consent.
"This is an issue of equity and fairness. The EU wants the developing countries to have a fair and equitable share of the benefits arising from the use of so-called genetic resources. If these countries use the benefits to protect bio-diversity and foster nature conservation, this could provide a win-win situation for trade and for the environment," said Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström.
The Plantlife report says the herbal medicine industry, which is failing to ensure the sustainability of its supplies, needs to take action. A survey of 17 herbal companies in the UK found only six are growing even a small percentage of the medicinal plants they use. Plants such as American ginseng and liquorice are under threat from over-harvesting.
Genetic resources, defined by the Commission as materials of plant, animal or microbial origin, are usually found in the southern hemisphere, mostly Latin America, south-east Asia, Oceania and Africa. They include plants such as cinnamon, which has essential oils with antiseptic properties, green tea, the subject of growing interest for its potent antioxidant activity and ginseng, used in numerous energy drinks and other products.
The communication suggests that companies and research institutions use standard agreements with the providers of genetic resources, such as governments or local populations, that set out terms and conditions under which the plants could be used and how the benefits from their use should be shared. All users of genetic resources are also encouraged to develop their own codes of conduct as a means of respecting the 1992 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Bonn Guidelines on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) adopted under the Convention in 2002.
Europe will also take measures to raise users' awareness of their obligations under the UN agreements, said the communication, such as creating a European network to provide information on international and European laws on access and benefit sharing.
It also opens the debate on the introduction into EU law of a requirement for patent applicants to reveal where they got their genetic resources from and if they made use of the 'traditional knowledge' of indigenous peoples or local populations.
The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament have been invited to give their views on the proposals and the public will also be consulted before further steps are taken on the proposals.
FROM: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=48955
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MIT Team Explains Yin-yang Of Ginseng
Work Emphasizes Need For Stronger Regulations Of Herbal Drugs
2004/09/01 Conflicting scientific articles report that ginseng can both promote the growth of blood vessels (key to wound healing) and stymie that process. The latter is important because preventing the formation of blood vessels can be enlisted against cancer. Tumors are fed by blood vessels; cutting off their supply can kill them.
In the Sept. 7, 2004 issue of Circulation: the Journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers from the United States, England, the Netherlands and Hong Kong explain these dual effects for the first time.
Chemical fingerprints of four different varieties of ginseng--American, Chinese, Korean and Sanqi--show that each has different proportions of two key ingredients. Additional studies showed that a preponderance of one ingredient has positive effects on the growth of blood vessels; more of the other component tips the scale the other way.
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ginseng (Panax quinquefolia). Photo courtesy / Lyntha Scott Eiler - Library of Congress |
"We found that this composition really matters for the ultimate outcome," said Shiladitya Sengupta, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Biological Engineering Division.
Further, the team found that the way ginseng extracts are processed can also alter the compositional ratio. "This is a very clear-cut example of why we need regulations standardizing herbal therapies through compositional analysis," said Professor Ram Sasisekharan of MIT's Biological Engineering Division. With the new results, "we can now rationally isolate the components to focus on a specific effect, such as promoting blood-vessel formation."
In the United States, herbal medicines are currently regulated under the 1994 Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act, which does not require standardization or prior approval from the Food and Drug Administration. "You can basically crush it and sell it," Sasisekharan said.
The new results could also lead to medicines patterned after ginseng's key components. As the researchers write in Circulation, the identification of one of these in particular "opens up the exciting possibilities of harnessing [its] chemical scaffold as a prototype for wound-healing compounds."
Sasisekharan emphasizes the importance of Sengupta's interdisciplinary approach to the work. "He had the foresight to integrate the biology of cancer and blood-vessel formation to the pharmacological behavior of this drug and its structure."
MIT's role in the collaboration grew from Sasisekharan's expertise in complex sugars, which turn out to be key to ginseng's activity. "The sites where sugars are attached and how they are attached are unique for each of the molecular constituents, the ratio of which are distinct among the different varieties of ginseng," he explained. In 1999 Sasisekharan's lab developed a new tool for characterizing complex sugars.
FROM: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040831094238.htm
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Ginseng a Potent Parkinson's Preventive
2004/04/28 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Dalhousie neuroscientists have found that ginseng has a powerful protective effect on dopamine neurons, the brain cells that die in Parkinson's disease.
"It's the most exciting thing I've seen in 25 years of Parkinson's research," says Dr. Harry Robertson, a world-renowned authority on Parkinson's disease and head of Dalhousie's Department of Pharmacology. He explains that Dr. Bob Drobitch of Dalhousie's College of Pharmacy approached him about doing a study of ginseng in Parkinson's disease. Says Dr. Robertson: "I was skeptical at first, but after seeing the study results, I'm a believer!"
A postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Robertson's lab, Dr. Jackalina Van Kampen, conducted the experiments with Dr. Drobitch. They fed ginseng to rats in their drinking water, then injected a powerful drug called MPP+ that induces Parkinson's disease. But these animals, unlike other animals and humans who've been injected with MPP+, did not develop Parkinson's disease. "Instead of being destroyed, their dopamine neurons were all there, and the animals remained perfectly healthy," says Dr. Robertson. "The ginseng somehow protected their dopamine neurons against the MPP+." The study results were published in the prestigious journal, Experimental Neurology, last fall.
MPP+ has become a reliable model for Parkinson's disease since it gained notoriety in the 1980s following an outbreak of Parkinson's disease among drug addicts in California. They'd been trying to synthesize Demerol, but instead came up with a precursor of MPP+. Virtually everyone who injected this drug developed Parkinson's disease.
The discovery that ginseng can block the effects of MPP+ is a major breakthrough in the battle against Parkinson's disease. "It's a truly important finding, because we can begin testing ginseng in humans right away - it's been used for thousands of years and we know it's safe," says Dr. Robertson.
Once a minor sideline, Dalhousie's ginseng studies are gaining momentum. "Now we're trying to find out which constituents of ginseng create the effect, so we can synthesize a more powerful medication," explains Dr. Robertson. "We could be on the cusp of a whole new era in the safe and effective treatment of Parkinson's disease, with the help of a centuries-old herb."
FROM: http://communications.medicine.dal.ca/motm/gensing.htm
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The menu is set for some mind-bending foods
2004/08/01 - Most people are aware that drinking alcohol can have a profound effect on the body and mind. Drink a little and we become more sociable and relaxed. Drink too much and our ability to walk in a straight line can be severely tested. Now scientists are in the process of identifying more and more chemicals in food that have mind- and body-altering effects.
Such ingredients -- known as psychotropic additives -- could soon be included in everyday food products in concentrations that could make us more relaxed and sleep better, or more alert for exams, or to improve our everyday concentration, memory or general physical performance.
The science behind food has always fascinated Fat Duck restaurateur Heston Blumenthal and, in June, he teamed up with food pharmacologist Dr Paul Clayton and cognitive drug researcher professor Keith Wesnes, to demonstrate to a live audience at the Cheltenham Festival of Science, the effects of such psychotropic additives.
With the aid of ingredient suppliers Ajinomoto, Forum Bioscience and Taste-tech, Blumenthal provided a seven course meal for five guests -- tv presenter Sue Lawley, food critics Matthew Fort and Francis Wheen, flavour technologist Tony Blake and nutritionist Helen Conn.
The extraordinary menu that Blumenthal cooked up comprised chicken liver parfait; green tea and lime mousse; oyster & passion fruit jelly with lavender; cauliflower risotto; rabbit with carrot lollies; carrot toffee; and chocolates & green tea to finish.
While the diners knew they were part of an experiment, they did not know that the different courses were laced with one or more of the psychotropic additives ginseng, caffeine, betaine, trytophan and theanine.
After each course the diners were subjected to tests to chart their memory, alertness and moods. Their responses were analysed back stage by professor Wesnes and the results presented to the audience.
While by no means a controlled experiment, the data did show the memory skills of some diners improved after eating the ginseng; some became more alert after the caffeine; and reaction times improved on consuming trytophan and theanine.
The experiment illustrated that food can do more than simply banish hunger and keep our energy levels high, it can affect our mood and mental and physical abilities.
Back in the lab, scientists have, for example, discovered that tryptophan, found in fish and some vegetables, is a precursor of the neuro-transmitter serotonin and regulates several processes in the body such as sleep, emotional stability and the ability to cope with anxiety or stress.
Theanine, a form of amino acid found in green tea, produces mental and physical relaxation and decreases stress and anxiety, while ginseng is believed to improve energy and vitality levels, memory and concentration.
As the real potential of more of these additives is unravelled by science, we are likely to see them used more widely in food.
Claims about the mental or physical effects of such food additives is currently restricted by European Union legislation. But they are being increasingly investigated by the pharmaceutical community.
As a result, the dividing line between medicine and food is blurring. Last month Oxford researchers reported they had produced a drink that could counter mental illness such as schizophrenia, and a prominent nutritionist has called for government action over the lack of omega-3 in our diet, claiming it could seriously affect the mental health of the UK population.
As governments focus on nutrition as a means of cutting their health services bills, mind- and body-enhancing food additives could become powerful tools in maintaining their populations' future health. FM
FROM: http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/356/The_menu_is_set_for_some_mind-bending_foods.html
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Beer with a caffeine boost
2004/10/07 - Anheuser-Busch has created a beer for those who fancy a night on the tiles but need that little extra something to pep them up.
The newest innovation from the makers of Budweiser is B-to-the-E (BE), a beer infused with caffeine, guarana and ginseng.
The company said the beer will be flavored with blackberry, raspberry or cherry, offering a sweet, but tart taste.
"With B-to-the-E, we've come up with a beer that has a taste with a 'wow' factor at the finish," said Nathaniel Davis, brewmaster for Anheuser-Busch.
The beer is said to be aimed at adults with hectic social schedules who are looking for a drink to match their fast-paced life-styles.
Depending on government approval, the company plans to launch the beer nationwide, marketing it through local print advertising, point-of-sale materials, bar and club promotions and online programs The drink will be priced slightly higher than Budweiser and will contain 6.6 percent alcohol.
FROM: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=55251
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Coke accelerates into energy drinks market
2004/10/19 - Coca-Cola, which until now has struggled to make its mark in the profitable energy-drink market, hopes to rectify the situation with the launch of Full Throttle early next year in the US.
Coke said it is targeting young men with the lightly-carbonated, citrus-flavored drink with extracts of ginseng and guarana, caffeine and B-vitamins. It will be available in convenience stores starting in January in 16-ounce cans at a cost of around $2.
Energy drinks continue to show strong growth with the US market alone now worth over $1 billion. Last year, the combined sports and energy drinks market far outpaced soft drinks in general with a 7 percent increase, according to beverage industry analysts Canadean. Indeed, the market has grown by over 50 percent in the last six years, even though volume remains fairly small.
Globally, the business is dominated by Asia and North America markets, which account for more than 80 per cent of consumption. Asia is the leading region, but still remains one of the most under-developed with weak demand in a number of countries. Japan, however, is the jewel in the crown and is bettered only in volume terms by the US.
Growth is expected to slow a little in all regions except Asia, but it is estimated that volume will advance by around 24 per cent by 2006.
Yesterday, NutraIngredientsUSA reported how these ever-increasingly health conscious times are proving tricky for the soft drinks' companies to navigate.
Last week, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo announced they would comply with FDA recommendations and from the end of this year start rolling out 20 ounce bottles of their fizzy drinks with more detailed nutritional labeling.
The modified packaging labels will provide expanded nutritional information -including calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates, sugars and protein - to help consumers choose the beverages that are right for them, according to the company.
Partly due to concerns about calorie content, sales of sugary, fizzy drinks have been on the decline in per capita consumption since a peak in 1998.
Meanwhile, comparatively smaller categories such as water, energy drinks and juice-based drinks have been growing. Some attribute this growth to the health benefits consumers believe they reap from such products.
In May - no doubt with this in mind - Coca-Cola and Pepsi launched low-calorie and low-carb versions of their well-known brands in the form of C2 and Pepsi Edge.
In the past two years, moreover, three out of four of Coca-Cola's new cola products have been 'diet' drinks - Diet Vanilla Coke, Diet Coke with Lemon and most recently, Diet Coke with Lime.
However, despite these innovations, Coca-Cola took the unusual step last month of indicating that its second half results for 2004 - due to be issued on Thursday - will be below expectations, with third quarter 2004 worldwide unit case volume growth expected to be in the range of flat to one percent.
Pepsi's drinks division (Pepsico Beverages North America) also saw a total volume decline of one percent for the third quarter of 2004 and the volume of carbonated soft drinks declined by 4 percent.
"Revenue growth of three percent for the third quarter is driven largely by the continued favorable mix shift to non-carbs," said the company in a statement, noting that on a year-to-date basis, PBNA volume was up 3 percent, with carbonated soft drinks flat and non-carbs up over 10 percent
FROM: http://www.beveragedaily.com/news/ng.asp?id=55519
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